Colt's · Revolver

Colt Viper

Name: Colt Viper
Brand: Colt's

Revolving · .38 Special · introduced 1977

Also known as Colt Viper .38

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About the Colt Viper

The Colt Viper is a six-shot, double-action revolver chambered in .38 Special, produced by Colt for only a single year in 1977. Essentially a 4-inch-barreled version of the lightweight aluminum-alloy-framed Colt Cobra, the Viper combined a compact, easy-carrying frame with a longer barrel for improved velocity and sight radius. It featured fixed sights, a swing-out six-round cylinder, and checkered wood grips. Overshadowed by Colt's better-known 'snake gun' line, the Viper sold poorly and was quickly discontinued, with only a few thousand produced, making surviving examples scarce and collectible today.

Among the rarest of Colt's revolvers, the original Viper was a one-year-only experiment that gave the snub-friendly alloy Cobra frame a 4-inch barrel. Its commercial failure made it a sleeper among collectors, and decades later Colt revived the name for a modern stainless .357 Magnum revolver.

Colt Viper specifications

General

Type: Revolver
Action: Revolving
Firing mechanism: Hammer-fired
Trigger: Double action
Calibres: .38 Special
Magazine capacity: 6 rounds
Magazine: Revolving cylinder

Dimensions

Barrel length: 102 mm (4.0 in)
Overall length: 229 mm (9.0 in)
Height: 130 mm (5.1 in)
Width: 36 mm (1.4 in)
Weight (empty): 0.57 kg (1.25 lb)

Barrel

Rifling: Left hand
Grooves: 6

Materials

Barrel: Steel
Receiver / frame: Aluminum alloy
Stock: Wood
Finish: blued

Performance

Muzzle velocity (typical): 290 m/s (951 fps)
Muzzle energy (typical): 341 J (252 ft·lb)
Effective range: 45 m

History

Introduced: 1977
Discontinued: 1977
Production status: Discontinued
Country of origin: US

Features

Lightweight alloy frame
Fixed sights
Checkered wood grips
Swing out cylinder
Ejector rod shroud

Safety

Rebounding hammer
Transfer bar

Only the original 1977 model was chambered in .38 Special on an aluminum-alloy frame. Colt reintroduced the Viper name in 2024 as a stainless-steel revolver chambered for .357 Magnum/.38 Special, which is a distinct firearm from this entry.